Southern California -- this just in

Lindsay Lohan says no to plea deal in grand theft case

March 23, 2011 | 3:34
pm

Actress Lindsay Lohan will not seek a plea bargain that could have landed her in jail for 90 days -- and will instead take her chances with a preliminary hearing to see if there is enough evidence to try her on a grand theft charge.

Sources have told The Times that Lohan mulled over an offer from Judge Keith Schwartz that would have resulted in no more than 90 days in jail if she pleaded guilty to grand theft of a $2,500 necklace from a Venice jeweler in January. If she wanted to accept the deal, she would have had to inform the court by Wednesday.

The actress has refused to consider any time in jail and has insisted she never took anything intentionally.

Schwartz told the "Mean Girls" actress she could show up on that date and accept a plea deal that would include some jail time. Or, she could set a date for a preliminary hearing before Judge Stephanie Sautner. The hearing would determine whether there was sufficient evidence to try the case.

Schwartz warned Lohan that Sautner would hear the jewelry theft case while also considering that Lohan had violated terms of her probation on a 2007 misdemeanor drunk-driving conviction.

Sautner could jail Lohan on the probation violation even before a trial on the Jan. 22 alleged necklace theft.

Schwartz had made it clear to Lohan that if she made the deal in his courtroom, it would definitely involve time behind bars. He also said she would need to enter court-supervised therapy and have a 12-step program sponsor independent of her family and friends.